23 March 2023 , 23:00
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A Great Ormond Street doctor has been suspended from his NHS job after he used his wife's free travel pass.
Dr James Kayan Ip is a Consultant Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthetist at the world-famous children's hospital, having joined their Specialist Register in February 2016 before being promoted to his current role just over two years later.
But earlier this month the doctor was handed down a punishment at a tribunal after he was convicted on 4 July 2022 at Lavender Hill Magistrates Court, London of entering a compulsory ticket area without having a valid ticket.
The outcome saw him suspended from his registration for six months, with an appeal period pending.
Documents from the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service said that Dr Ip was stopped by a TFL ticket inspector at Hammersmith Station on 7 February 2022 as he used a free travel pass belonging to his wife to enter the ticket barriers at the underground station.
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The paediatrician was suspended by a medical tribunal this month after being convicted of not having a valid ticket (REX/Shutterstock)A short interview then took place, during which Dr Ip admitted that the pass belonged to his wife, and he was "not entitled to use it".
Admitting that he had used the pass on more than one occasion, it was confiscated and the trained paediatrician was allowed to leave.
Soon afterwards he was charged with an offence of entering a compulsory ticket area without having with him a valid ticket, an offence under byelaw 17(1) and 23 of the Transport for London Railways Byelaws.
Dr Ip appeared at court on 4 July 2022, where he pleaded guilty to the offence.
Fifty-four other offences were taken into consideration for other journeys on the TfL system using his wife's pass between December 2021 and February 2022, according to the tribunal papers.
He was sentenced to a fine of £500 and was ordered to pay compensation of £297 and additional costs.
In a summary of legal submissions on March 9 this year, the medical practitioners tribunal found that Dr Ip's actions were "not a case where the doctor poses a risk to the safety of a patient in terms of harm due to his actions in a clinical setting".
The NHS professional's suspension will take effect 28 days from the decision being served in writing, unless an appeal is lodged (AFP via Getty Images)They added there is "no evidence that his clinical care is in anyway substandard", pointing out that he is a "well respected and a skilled clinician within the NHS."
But the tribunal also stated that this was a "conviction for a dishonesty offence", with the doctor said in court to be repeatedly using a "fraudulent" pass which he knew he was not entitled to use.
This meant his actions were a "significant and persistent breach" of the General Medical Council's Good Medical Practice paragraph 65, which states: "You must make sure that your conduct justifies your patient’s trust in you and the public’s trust in the profession."
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Dr Ip had explained to the hospital at the time that he had used the pass during the pandemic period after being irritated that medical staff still had to pay for public transport, but said in a reflective statement that he now thought this reasoning to be "illogical, immoral and wrong".
After establishing that Dr Ip should receive a suspension for the offence, the tribunal settled on a period of six months, as this was the "shortest period which was appropriate to reflect the seriousness" of his case.
His suspension will take effect 28 days from the decision being served in writing, unless an appeal is lodged. It is not yet known whether Dr Ip will appeal his suspension.
Matt Bigwood of the Doctors’ Association UK said the group had been left "shocked and angered" by the GMC's action towards Dr Ip, adding: "The suspension of six months for Dr Ip for the offence committed is totally disproportionate, with other much more serious offences (e.g. drink driving and sexual offences) often getting commensurate suspensions.
"He has already admitted to the fraud, shown remorse and accepted the punishment."